We carry them everywhere, we take them to bed, to the bathroom, and for many people they are the first thing they see in the morning – more than 90 percent of the world’s people have or use mobile phones, and many of us cannot cope with them. without one.
Health problems associated with phone use are usually related to the distraction they can cause while driving, the possible effects of RF exposure, or simply how addictive they can be. The risk of germs infecting your phone is much less estimated, but it is quite real.
A 2019 survey found that the majority of UK residents use their phones in the toilet. Therefore, it is not surprising that studies have shown that our mobile phones dirtier than toilet seats.
We give our phones to kids to play with (who are not well known for their hygiene). We also eat while using our phones and put them on all sorts of (dirty) surfaces. All of this can carry germs to your phone along with food deposits for those germs.
It is estimated that people touch their phone hundreds if not thousands of times a day. And while many of us wash our hands regularly, say after going to the toilet, cooking, cleaning, or gardening, we are much less likely to think about washing our hands after touching our phones. But given how disgusting and germ-infested phones can be, it might be time to think more about cell phone hygiene.
What germs are hiding in your phone?
Hands constantly collect bacteria and viruses and are considered a route of infection. It’s the same with the phones we touch. A number of studies done on the microbiological colonization of mobile phones show that they can be contaminated by many different types of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
These include diarrhea coli (which, by the way, comes from human excrement) and skin infection staphylococcus aureusand actinobacteriawhich can cause tuberculosis and diphtheria, Citrobacterwhich can lead to painful urinary tract infections and enterococcuswhich is known to cause meningitis. klebsiella, micrococcus, Proteus, pseudomonas another streptococcus have also been found on phones, all of which can have equally unpleasant effects on people.
The microscopic image shows colonies of Escherichia coli bacteria.
Reuters
Research has shown that many pathogens on phones are often resistant to antibiotics, meaning they cannot be treated with conventional medicines. This is a concern because these bacteria can cause skin, intestinal, and respiratory infections that can be life-threatening.
Research has also shown that even if you wipe down your phone with antibacterial wipes or alcohol, it can still be re-colonized with microorganisms, indicating that disinfection should be a regular process.
Phones contain plastic that can contain and transmit viruses, some of which (cold virus) can live on hard plastic surfaces for up to a week. Other viruses such as COVID-19, rotavirus (a highly contagious intestinal infection that usually affects infants and young children), influenza, and norovirus, which can cause serious respiratory and intestinal infections, can remain infectious for several days.
Indeed, since the start of the COVID pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put in place guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting mobile phones, which, along with doorknobs, ATMs, and elevator buttons, are considered reservoirs of infection.
In particular, concerns have been raised about the role that mobile phones can play in the spread of infectious germs in hospitals and health care facilities, as well as in schools.
So, it’s clear that you need to start cleaning your phone regularly. The FCC actually recommends disinfecting your phone and other devices daily — not least because we’re still in an active COVID-19 pandemic and the virus can linger for days on hard plastic surfaces.
How to clean your phone
Use alcohol-based wipes or sprays. They must contain at least 70 percent alcohol to disinfect phone cases and touch screens, and this should be done every day if possible.
Do not spray disinfectants directly on the phone, and do not allow liquids to get into the connection points or other openings of the phone. Never use bleach or abrasive cleaners. And wash your hands thoroughly after you finish cleaning.
Thinking about how you handle your phone will also help you avoid germs colonizing it. When you’re not at home, keep your phone in your pocket or bag and use a disposable paper to-do list instead of constantly checking your phone. Handle the phone with clean hands, washed with soap and water or disinfected with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
There are other things you can do to keep your phone from becoming a source of viruses. Do not share your phone with others if you have any infection or have not sanitized it. If children are allowed to play with your phone, disinfect it as soon as possible afterwards.
And get in the habit of putting your phone away when not in use and then sanitizing or washing your hands. You can also disinfect your phone charger from time to time while cleaning your phone.
Primrose Freestone is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) shake hands after a joint press conference at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on March 16.
Kiyoshi Ota/AP
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Kiyoshi Ota/AP
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) shake hands after a joint press conference at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on March 16.
Kiyoshi Ota/AP
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he is arranging a trip to South Korea to talk with President Yoon Suk-yeol in exchange for his March visit to Tokyo to further strengthen their ties ahead of the upcoming G-7 summit.
Tokyo and Seoul are working to repair relations that have been strained over wartime history disputes as they deepen trilateral security cooperation with Washington in response to growing regional threats from North Korea and China.
Speaking to reporters in Ghana on Tuesday as part of his multinational trip to Africa and Singapore, Kishida said he hopes to visit May 7-8 and exchange views with Yun on ways to accelerate bilateral ties and discuss regional and global issues. .
“If my visit to South Korea takes place before the G-7 summit, I expect it to be a great opportunity to jump-start our shuttle diplomacy and have a candid exchange on accelerating Japan-South relations. ties between Korea and fundamentally change the global situation,” said Kishida, who is hosting the May 19-21 summit in Hiroshima.
Kishida will be the first Japanese leader to visit South Korea since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Pyeongchang Olympics in February 2018. The two leaders are expected to focus on their cooperation and response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.
Japan and South Korea want to make sure their relationship is on the path to a significant recovery ahead of the G7, to which Yoon has been invited as one of the eight countries for public relations. The two leaders are also expected to hold a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines.
Washington is stepping up cooperation with its key Asian allies.
Yoon was in Washington last week and secured a stronger US commitment to an expanded nuclear deterrence, including improved information sharing and nuclear submarine visits to South Korea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was at the White House on Monday, and Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Philippines and noted the “deep friendship” of the two countries.
Relations between Japan and South Korea have improved rapidly since March, when the Yun government announced plans to use South Korea’s funds to compensate forced laborers without demanding contributions from Japan. The plan aims to end a dispute stemming from a 2018 South Korean court ruling that Japanese companies ordered Korean workers to pay for mistreatment and forced labor during World War II, when the Korean Peninsula was a Japanese colony.
Since Yun’s trip to Japan in March, Tokyo and Seoul have largely settled their trade disputes. The two sides also held the first talks in seven years between their finance ministers, seeking to strengthen cooperation on sustainable supply chains in the face of rising Chinese influence.
Wisconsin lawmakers are ready to accept the state’s share in a settlement stemming from another multi-state lawsuit accusing drug manufacturers and distributors of contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.
A coalition of states and local governments in November and December secured settlements with opioid makers Teva and Allergan, as well as drug companies. walmart chainsWalgreens and CVS for a total of $19.2 billion.
Wisconsin is to receive about $324.3 million, of which 30% will go to the state and 70% to county governments. The Joint Finance Committee of the Legislative Assembly is due to vote on the adoption of the money during a meeting on Tuesday.
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Passing the settlement would also result in companies complying with a Wisconsin District Court ruling requiring them to make major changes to how prescription opioids are sold and dispensed.
A man walks past the Wisconsin State Capitol in October. October 10, 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin lawmakers are expected to rule on a lawsuit accusing drug makers of contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.(AP Photo/Scott Bauer, file)
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Teva and Allergan have agreed to restrict the marketing, promotion, sale and distribution of opioids. Pharmacy chains will comply with requirements regarding compliance structures and pharmacist judgment, according to documents prepared by the state Department of Justice.
More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed by state and local governments, Indian tribes, labor unions, hospitals and others in state and federal courts over opioid losses. Most argue that the industry has created public inconvenience in a crisis that has seen 500,000 Americans die in the past two decades.
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Wisconsin entered into similar agreements with four opioid companies — Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — in 2022.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Two US Army helicopters collided and crashed Thursday in Alaska while returning from a training flight, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth.
Two soldiers died at the crash site near Healy, Alaska, and a third died en route to a hospital in Fairbanks, the army said in a statement. The report says a fourth soldier is in the hospital with injuries.
The army said the names of those killed were not released until 24 hours after relatives could be notified.
There were two people on each AH-64 Apache helicopter at the time of the crash, US Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell said earlier Thursday.
The helicopters belonged to the 1st Assault Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks.
“This is an incredible loss for the families of these soldiers, their fellow soldiers and for the division,” Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commander of the 11th Airborne Division, said in a statement from the Army. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we provide all the resources of the army to support them.
“The Fort Wainwright community is one of the most close-knit military communities I have seen in my 32 years of service,” he continued. “I have no doubt that they will rally in this exceptional time of need and comfort our families for our fallen.”
The Army said the cause of the crash is under investigation and more details will be released when they become available.
This is the second plane crash involving military helicopters in Alaska this year.
in February, two soldiers are wounded when an Apache helicopter overturned after takeoff from Talkeetna. The aircraft was one of four bound for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage from Fort Wainwright.
in March, nine soldiers were killed when two US Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during a routine night exercise about 30 miles northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Healy is about 10 miles north of Denali National Park and Preserve, about 250 miles north of Anchorage.
Healy is a community of about 1,000 people located on the Parks Highway in the interior of Alaska. It is a popular place where people spend the night while visiting the nearby park, home to Denali, the continent’s highest mountain.
Healy is also famous for being the city closest to a former bus that was abandoned in a remote area and popularized by the book Into the Wild and the movie of the same name. The bus was removed and delivered to Fairbanks in 2020.
